Now that you've finished, what aspects of Tunguska are you most pleased about, and are there any areas you aren't completely satisfied with? Maybe something you'd do differently if given the chance?

There are always things that can be improved. If that wasn't so, we would have created the perfect game and would have to retire from the business. It is not so much obvious faults but much rather a number of optimisations. And there will definitely be some. Which ones? We'll keep you posted...

Fortunately, those are lessons you can carry over into the sequel. You are planning a sequel, right? The announcement at the end of the first game certainly suggests you are.

Yes, we are working on a sequel. But no more can be said at present.

Not even a little? Will it be a direct sequel with a continuation of the same story, or do you just plan to use the same characters in entirely new adventures?

We will not have that many links back to the story in the first part, as we do not want to commit ourselves too much regarding the selection of the story. The two main characters will of course return (and perhaps a number of supporting characters may feature in small guest roles).

Have you already begun work on the next game, or are you still busy following up on the various international releases of the first? Or maybe just recovering from exhaustion.

I have already been working on the design of the next title for three months now. The graphics designers from Animation Arts and the programmers from Fusionsphere Systems are still partly working on the European localisations and are using up every free minute for developing new prototypes. After all, the presentation also still needs even more improvement.

The game is being quite well received, though not yet released everywhere. Are you happy with the reception it's received to this point? Any surprises so far?

To be perfectly honest, I'm not really happy with the ratings. If people compare a classic adventure with an ego-shooter and criticise the lack of action, then a number of questions occur to me. Secret Files: Tunguska has its focus clearly on the classic puzzle design, the exciting story and the atmosphere. In addition to this there is the intuitive control and the numerous little support features which guarantee a game experience free of frustration. Of course you can't shoot people in our game, or throw fireballs around or plan the next move on the strategy map. But all those who like classic adventures and who value logical puzzles and easy operation have definitely made the right choice with our game. Both the forum response and the large number of emails show that we have given many players a lot of pleasure with this type of adventure.

Do you have any favourite characters or moments from the game that really stand out for you?

I love the conversation between Max and the innkeeper in Ireland. I still laugh when I hear the dialog, even though I wrote it myself. I don't really have any favourite characters. As I have designed a background story for every character, no matter how small his role is in the finished game, I am really fond of every character.

What's up with the fascination with radiators? There must be an inside joke attached to that. Care to let the rest of us in on it?

We are small garage companies and we nearly froze last winter. Then we got an offer from a large heating manufacturer...

No, this really isn't supposed to be a joke. The graphics just got many more radiators than we originally intended. So we started gradually to like it and included further puzzles concerning radiators. Well, game designers are strange creatures some times...

The decision to use all American accents in the English version of the game is generating some interesting public reactions. Whose decision was it to do that, and why did you choose that option over localized accents?

We wanted to have good speakers. Really good speakers. And over there [in North America] the selection is much larger and you can pick out your favourites. Here, it's quite another thing if I am looking for an Irishman of Cuban descent with a Siberian accent. The choice in this case is not very large and the quality tends to be lower.

The questions can also be asked: what do I want to achieve by having someone speak with a French accent? Is that a characterisation? Hardly. That's why we decided against any kind of accent and have preferred to individualise our figures with other characteristics.

Any successful adventure relies on a balance between storytelling and gameplay. Some developers seem to have a specific style of gameplay in mind and build a story around it, while others appear to work puzzles in once they've developed their storyline. Secret Files: Tunguska is very story-driven, but has a lot more puzzles than many other current adventures. Did you have a primary focus when developing the game?

Our definition of adventure is a perfect combination of puzzles AND story. Both elements were thus developed parallel to one another. The puzzles on the one hand must ensure challenging entertainment but on the other they continue to tell the story. There is accordingly no focus on ONE of the two elements, but rather on the combination of them both.

Having two playable characters really opens up possibilities, either to develop a story in different ways or to create cooperative gameplay where both characters are required to succeed. The interaction between Max and Nina was used but not really emphasized in this game. Is that something you're interested in pursuing further in future games?

Yes, there are definite plans to further develop the co-operation between Nina and Max. It is however difficult to say currently to what extent this can be realised.



Are you involved in any other games right now, or have you been focused exclusively on Secret Files: Tunguska?

We are a small team and are putting a lot of stock into an even better successor for Secret Files: Tunguska. We are thus concentrating fully on taking the players' criticisms seriously and acting on them accordingly. In other words, in addition to working on the sequel, there is perhaps a little time available for sleeping and eating every now and then, but definitely no other games.

How soon until we start hearing the first details about your next adventure? Anything you can tease us with now?

Towards to the end of this year there will be a German teaser. Whether and when there will be international versions of it has not yet been planned. I have been forbidden to impart any further information on pain of a longer stay in the Tunguska region.

Well, your first game is enjoyable in its own right, and shows all kinds of promise for Fusionsphere and Animation Arts as adventure game developers. Thanks again for sharing your time with us, congratulations on your achievement, and we do hope to see plenty more from you in future! Any last words to share with our readers?

Thanks a lot. My last word is usually "Cheers". As the international ratings vary between 60-90% and a clear tendency doesn't seem to be developing, I would like to draw your attention to our comprehensive demo. Download the application and decide for yourselves if Secret Files: Tunguska is more of a 90% than a 60%.